Sullivan County Superior Court Summons Jurors for April 2026 Petit Jury Duty

Sullivan County's jury pool is the second-smallest in New Hampshire, drawn from just 43,063 residents across 528 square miles of west-central New Hampshire. When the New Hampshire Judicial Branch summoned petit jurors to appear at 22 Main Street in Newport at 8:30 a.m. on April 6, every unreturned summons added friction to a docket that handles the county's most serious criminal and civil cases.

A petit jury, the standard trial jury that hears evidence and renders verdicts, is the institution at stake here, distinct from a grand jury, which only decides whether charges should be filed. The Sullivan County Superior Court's jurisdiction covers felony trials and civil and equity actions exceeding $1,500, meaning a depleted jury pool carries direct consequences for defendants awaiting trial, victims waiting for resolution, and law enforcement whose cases stall without a verdict.

Clerk Brendon C. Thurston and Deputy Clerk Jaclyn Troy oversee jury operations at the Newport courthouse. The clerk's office is reachable Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., at 1-855-212-1234; jurors with questions about their summons should select option 4 to reach the Jury Center directly.

The court sits at 22 Main Street, a secure facility where everyone passes through a metal detector. Jurors arriving for service should bring their jury summons and a photo ID. Parking is available in the lot on Sunapee Street, directly across from the Sullivan County Sheriff's Office, or at 20 North Main Street near the DMV. Jurors seated on a deliberating panel have lunch provided; those not yet selected for a panel are on their own.

Compensation for state court service is modest: $10 per half-day of attendance under RSA 500-A, making a full day worth $20 in fees before mileage. The mileage rate is $0.20 per mile, calculated for travel to and from the courthouse. Jurors may waive their fee, their mileage, or both when checking in on their first day. Federal jurors in New Hampshire, governed by a separate statute entirely, receive $50 per day, rising to $60 after 10 days of service; state jurors in Newport should not expect that rate.

Employers who pressure or penalize workers for responding to jury summonses are on the wrong side of RSA 500-A:14. That statute bars New Hampshire employers from firing, threatening, or coercing any employee who receives a summons, attends court for prospective jury service, or serves as a juror. Violators face contempt of court, and a discharged employee has one year to file a civil action for lost wages, reinstatement, and attorney's fees. The clerk's office can certify attendance for jurors who need documentation for their employer.

Missing a required reporting date without making prior arrangements carries its own legal exposure. Residents who received summonses for future reporting dates listed in the April 2026 notice should contact the clerk's office at 1-855-212-1234 before failing to appear, not after.

Newport, a city of roughly 6,357 people, has served as Sullivan County's seat since the county was organized on July 5, 1827. Named for Revolutionary War Brigadier General John Sullivan (1740-1795), the county's courthouse at 22 Main Street still depends on one unglamorous but essential thing: citizens who show up.